Infectious Diseases

Understanding how infectious diseases impact the immune system and vice versa is a key piece of BRI’s work. Our team aims to better understand how germs interact with the immune system and examine if and how vaccines and medicines help fight infectious diseases. Our research spans many infectious diseases, ranging from influenza to Ebola. Our team has also made crucial contributions to COVID-19 research since the beginning of the pandemic, from exploring important questions about the virus to helping test the first COVID-19 vaccines.

What Are Infectious Diseases?

Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by invaders such as viruses, fungi and bacteria. These harmful germs cause infections, which happen when germs make copies of themselves and increase in number. Infections cause different symptoms depending on where they are in the body, ranging from fever and chills to stomach pain and nausea and many other symptoms. Some of the most common infectious diseases include:

• The common cold
• COVID-19
• The flu (influenza)
• Stomach flu (gastroenteritis)

What Is the Latest Research Into Infectious Diseases?

BRI’s infectious disease research includes:

• Examining how infectious diseases impact the human immune system and vice versa.
• Understanding how vaccines work in people with immune system diseases.
• Exploring how to better tailor COVID-19 treatments and prevention to different populations.
• Understanding if and how infections trigger autoimmune diseases.